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Toxoplasma gondii discovery may help fight against malaria

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists have discovered a protein in the cell wall of parasites that’s crucial to the molecular mechanism allowing them to move between cells, survive and cause disease.

25 May 2004

Among older people, diabetes substantially increases premature deaths

A new study involving tens of thousands of people 65 and older suggests that even among older people, diabetes substantially increases premature deaths, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

24 May 2004

Medicare Drug Discount Card pricing is lower than internet and mail-order pharmacy prices

A new study by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that prices available from Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards are lower than current Internet and mail-order pharmacy prices.

24 May 2004

Canadian healthcare policy under the microscope

Healthcare policies and programs come and go. Yet the professionals who design the medical services we use are rarely mentioned in the general healthcare debates. That's about to change.

23 May 2004

Craig Fuller of NACDS testifies on Medicare-approved drug discount card program

Today, Craig Fuller, president and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on the Medicare prescription discount cards, the important role of pharmacies and lessons learned from the first two weeks of the Medicare-approved drug discount card program.

20 May 2004

Scientists aim to develop an intelligent robotic wheelchair

Researchers from the Department of Computer Science will work alongside scientists from the Institute of Automation at Beijing in developing the advanced technology needed for a high performance, low cost RoboChair which will enable the elderly and disabled to gain increased mobility and live more independently.

20 May 2004

$600 credit and discounts help low income Medicare beneficiaries

Seven million Medicare beneficiaries who are eligible for low-income transitional assistance and additional discounts can see very large savings on their prescription drugs through their Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards.

19 May 2004

Boston Medical Center awarded grant to support breastfeeding

The Breastfeeding Center at Boston Medical Center (BMC) has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Trustees of the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation to help support the Hospital Education of Lactation Practices (HELP) Lowell Program.

19 May 2004

Dark chocolate and cocoa may help arterial stiffness

“This is the first study to investigate whether chocolate has any favorable effects on cardiovascular function in healthy subjects,” says Charalambos Vlachopoulos, MD, of the Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece. “We found dark chocolate improves endothelial function and decreases arterial stiffness in healthy young adults.”

19 May 2004

Blood pressure control of people 80 years and older, especially women, must be made a national priority

Blood pressure control of people 80 years and older, especially women, must be made a national priority, urged a Northwestern University researcher at the American Society of Hypertension’s Nineteenth Annual Scientific Meeting.

19 May 2004

Matching method allows surgeons to successfully transplant kidneys that would otherwise be discarded

By carefully matching the estimated function of kidneys from deceased donors with the needs of potential recipients, surgeons can successfully transplant kidneys that would otherwise be discarded, according to a report from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. The center was able to double its transplant volume within a year.

18 May 2004

1.3 million Hispanics will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are projected to increase more than six-fold among Hispanics in the U.S. during the first half of the 21st century, according to a new report released today by the Alzheimer’s Association. This increase means that 1.3 million Hispanics will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050, compared to fewer than 200,000 currently living with the disease.

17 May 2004

Speaking their language aids dementia patients

Elderly dementia patients from non-English speaking backgrounds communicate more with others and take fewer psychiatric medications when living in ethno-specific nursing homes, an Australian study at Monash University has revealed.

17 May 2004

New British firework laws aim to kerb injuries

Air bombs will be banned from next month and new strict controls on mini rockets introduced in the latest Government move to crackdown on firework yobs, Consumer Minister Gerry Sutcliffe will announce today.

17 May 2004

Drug discount card accepted across 41,000 US PCA pharmacies

Following Medicare's approval of its prescription drug discount card, the Pharmacy Care Alliance today announced that its growing network of pharmacies includes more than 31,000 chain and 10,000 independent representing more than 41,000 local pharmacies across the U.S.

16 May 2004

Technology will help as world's population over 60 doubles

It's just a collection of bloody nuts and bolts." That was the damning reaction of a 69-year-old resident at a Scottish nursing home - let's call him William Brown - when asked if he would like a robotic pet as a companion to help relieve his boredom and loneliness. But once he realised that the robot could play games with him, he quickly changed his mind.

15 May 2004

Medicare drug discount cards continue to drop prices

After the first full week of making information on assured drug price discounts available to beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' review of the savings offered by drug card sponsors shows that more cards will be offering lower prices to beneficiaries, compared with prices posted last week.

15 May 2004

John Kerry says families are being squeezed by the high cost of health care

Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry Wednesday traveled to Orlando, Fla., where he held a town hall meeting at Englewood Neighborhood Center with families who are being squeezed by the high cost of health care.

15 May 2004

CMS announces 2005 Medicare Advantage payment rates

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released the Medicare Advantage (formerly Medicare + Choice) payment rates for 2005.

11 May 2004

American Lung Association welcomes EPA nonroad diesel rule

The American Lung Association has welcomed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency move to clean up heavy equipment and diesel fuel. The rule closes the loophole that left millions of engines ranging from small construction equipment, tractors and heavy equipment like bulldozers under regulated.

11 May 2004